as in smacking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
clouted the nail with the hammer and drove it all the way into the wood
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clouting
Verb
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But a leadoff walk in the top of the 9th allowed Eugenio Suárez to knock in what would prove to be the winning run, smacking a double to left center field and scoring pinch runner Javier Sonoja.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026 -
Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rest of starters Tristan da Silva opened by hitting his first 3-pointer and made all four of his first-half free throws to reach 11 points by the break.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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The surge is also hitting refinance demand, not just purchases, as higher rates have reversed activity that had briefly improved earlier in the month.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When the Rockets called a time out, the Lakers bench all ran over to Doncic, hugging him, slapping him and James nudging him for a job very well done.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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About 15 minutes later, another 911 call comes in from a woman named Jane Kowalski, who sees Denise Lee slapping the back window of King's car and hears her screaming for help.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Things got worse for the Wild a few shifts later when Spurgeon foiled a Florida rush to the Minnesota net, but went down at full speed and slid hard into the goalpost, knocking the net off the moorings.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
27 Mar. 2026
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The level 3 out of 5, or the area with numerous severe thunderstorms, is literally knocking on the door.—
Ray Petelin,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Democrats, especially, are slamming the move to deploy them in place of TSA officers, since the tactics used for immigration enforcement are some of the main reasons for the government shutdown in the first place.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
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The Tucson hit both vehicles before slamming into the police cruiser and the tractor-trailer, cops said.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Furthermore, the lawsuit contends that while LaBeouf’s attorneys were still aggressively pursuing their position and seeking monetary compensation from Barnett, a partying LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans on assault charges for allegedly punching two bar patrons.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
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Everyone should be protecting their skulls 200 percent more in this situation and ideally also not punching each other.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2026
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Late Thursday night into early Friday morning, residents in several neighborhoods in Havana took to the streets, banging pots and pans and, in some cases, lighting bonfires to block major roads in the capital — a sign of escalating frustration.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
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These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Clouting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clouting. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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